Hitch for 179 with TV Highlander? - Event Date: 23 Jun 2017 - 30 Jun 2017

 Just hauled our newly purchased 2016 179 from North Carolina to our Home in New Hampshire. Our TV Highlander V-6, with 5K rated receiver pulled the r-pod nicely at or just under highways seeds. Other than then expected bouncing over very rough roads in Penn. our only concern was the loud ( to us) creaking noises we heard when pulling in to gas stations or campground sites. The hitch that came with the 179 is a Husky weight distribution with metal sway bars. I mounted this as best I could with help from mechanical brother in law. Previous owner towed with a Ford F-150.  I have made an appointment with the local RV dealer to have them inspect my rigging to see if I have made mistake in mounting, alignment, weight distribution, height, etc.. I did want to find out if other forum members, who tow with Highlander have used hitches and accessories they have found useful.thanks in advance for taking time to read and respond. Billy

We have the E2 hitch, which I think is similar to what yours is. It does creak & moan. Despite the fact that I am reducing the friction anti-sway, I put a dab of lithium grease on all the friction points. There is no question that it quiets things down noticeably. I know that it probably also defeats some of the anti-sway. However, we are pulling with an F-150, so I think we are overkill on that part of it.

One thing you can do to help is to use a hitch tightener such as the StowAway or equivalent. That will eliminate any clunking sounds from the hitch shank being loose in the hitch receiver.

Another thing that helps with our Equal-i-zer hitch is to use the Sway Bracket Jackets to reduce the groaning noise. However, they are not recommended for the Fastway E2 hitch, even though some have used them and said they do quiet the hitch. The reason is that unlike the 4-point sway control of the Equal-i-zer, the E2 only has 2-point sway control--the friction of the bars on the brackets. Anything that reduces that friction reduces your sway control.